My Pride and Prejudice

I’m surprised I’d never read Pride and Prejudice until now. Not even in school. But I never really had the urge to until I saw the 2005 movie. Ever since it’s been high on my to-be-read list. But sometimes classics don’t always live up to those long-standing expectations. I thought I’d be disappointed after waiting so long to read such a classic. I wasn’t.

I expected to enjoy it, but given the language, the time period and already-seen-the-movie plot line I thought it’d be more of a labor to get through. It wasn’t. Even though I knew exactly how the story played out (the 2005 film was very true to the book) I found myself looking forward to picking it back up at the end of the day. I’d been charmed by each and every character and their quick wits. I eagerly stepped into the world. Maybe part of it was that I’m in a place where a story about the potential good in this world is welcome and needed.

I also found it to be surprisingly feminist for its time, and the banter between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy was very reminiscent of the dynamic my husband and I first had / have. Lizzy is kind of a badass if you think about how tactfully she dissents from the rules of propriety and decorum of the time, and prospers because of that resistance.

And I thought Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s love story was genuinely romantic. He pursues her without any ulterior motives and with complete acceptance of her unpopular strengths and weaknesses. And their story is reaches outside of time in a way that’s so relatable. We all possess the basic vices of pride and prejudice and they too often are our biggest hurdles in committing to true love. Happily Lizzy and Darcy overcome.

I definitely thought this book lived up to the hype. It’s a timeless, romantic, comical, classic. If you haven’t read this one, don’t be too proud or prejudice to add it to your list (see what I did there? who’s got the quick wit now?). It’s worth all 300+ pages!